Real Wedding: Krista & Bob
When Bob Sullivan proposed to Krista Duell , on an early-morning beach stroll in Cancun, she was the only
one taken by surprise. Bob had already asked Krista’s dad for his approval and had leaked the news to several of their friends.
Krista and Bob had made the trip to Mexico to celebrate the 10-year anniversary of Krista’s best friend and her husband, and since the friend was the person who introduced Krista and Bob in the first place, there was no way anything—even Krista’s dislike of air travel—could keep Krista and Bob from being part of the festivities.
When Krista met Bob, she didn’t suspect that he would be the man she would spend the rest of her life with. At the time, Bob was recovering from the death of his brother Jeremy, which had taken place just a few weeks before. Though Bob and Krista instantly clicked and became friends, she had no idea how much her calls and text messages mattered to him. Later, he told her that they were what got him through this difficult time. After a year during which their friendship grew increasingly close, Krista and Bob decided to take their relationship to the next level, and the proposal followed soon after.
As Bob and Krista sat together on the beach early one morning, she was given her own reason to celebrate, as Bob took a ring out of his pocket and asked if she would wear it forever. She couldn’t believe it when Bob told her that the ring had been tucked in the very camera case that she had carried on the plane since they boarded the flight to Cancun. “I never suspected a thing,” she says.
Krista, who had once run a small wedding-planning business, was thrilled at having an opportunity to plan a celebration that would give her guests a chance to really have a good time. She knew exactly what she wanted and did most of the preparation for the wedding herself. “I love details, so no matter how much work it was going to be, it had to happen as I envisioned it,” she says.
They decided to have their wedding at Bob’s parents’ home in Salem, New York. “Jeremy’s Garden”—a blooming memorial to Bob’s late brother, full of beautiful flowers planted by family and friends—made a perfect backdrop for the simple, elegant wedding that Krista imagined. She spent a long time putting together a program that shared the story of Bob’s family’s historic property along with the more practical wedding information, and she even stitched together the programs herself.
That same handmade flair imbued every aspect of their wedding celebration. Instead of choosing a theme or palette, says Krista, “If we liked it, we used it, and I think that made the day more personal and interesting.” Her collections—including blue Mason jars and vintage linen tablecloths—served as ceremony décor. Centerpieces were composed of wildflowers from a local farmers’ market. A vintage truck bed rented from a friendly neighbor held
the hors d’oeuvres display. Bob’s mother prepared the food for the celebration, and Krista baked and decorated her own cake. She also made her own bouquet of hydrangeas, hosta leaves, and lady’s mantle. And she somehow found time to whip up matching ties for Bob and her son, Brady, from French satin ribbon. “I truly enjoy making things and making things personal,” she says. “I created everything we used that we didn’t already own.”
Six-year-old Brady walked his mother down the aisle, behind a crowd of children from the daycare center where Krista’s works. The little girls in silk dupioni dresses and crocheted gloves and the boys in gingham shirts and cargo shorts towed the youngest child in Bob’s prized vintage toy fire truck. After the ceremony, the kids settled down at their own table, complete with animal plates, baskets of bubble wands, silly string, coloring books, and goody bags.
The big day was everything Krista and Bob had hoped for in beginning their life together—and the guests couldn’t help but have a wonderful time, too!